Jai Opetaia leaves rival with broken neck in brutal ‘KO of the year contender’ as full injury update given

Jai Opetaia left his overmatched opponent Huseyin Cinkara in a bad way in a destructive KO victory.

The Australian star made the latest outing of his professional career against undefeated 40-year-old rival Cinkara.

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It was an expected blowout victory for the pound-for-pound star, who was looking to keep busy before pursuing the biggest fights available in 2026.

And it proved exactly that with Cinkara proving no match on the night.

It was a dominant display from the power-punching cruiserweight who dominated every round on the scorecards before the stoppage.

But it was the eighth round when the destructive and crushing moment came, as Cinkara felt the power of the champion.

It was a brutal left hook which smashed into the target and left the Turkish-German native on the canvas.

He didn’t move for several minutes and was rendered completely out cold, after crashing to the deck with a bounce against the ropes.

It was concerning scenes for both Opetaia and the watching crowd in attendance, as the previously undefeated veteran received medical attention.

He got back to his feet and received a big ovation, but it was lasting damage he had received from the clash.

Cinkara’s injuries after Opetaia KO

Cinkara was in a bad way after his first defeat, and certainly won’t want to ever step in the ring with the likes of Opetaia again.

When giving an update on his injuries after the final bell, his translator revealed he had even fractured a vertebra from the fall.

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He said: “He is going to stay for two or three days, he has a brain bruise and a fractured vertebrae in the T1 region.

“He got hit hard, as soon as he got hit, he hit his head on the ropes right at the top of the vertebrae.

“The ropes are hard and he bounced off that and hit his head on the floor.

“The poor bloke was freaking out, he can’t speak English.”

What next for Opetaia?

Opetaia is hoping for a big 2026, and is still keen to take on Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in a unification clash.

But he hopes to first make improvements, having felt agitated by his own display in spite of the victory.

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He added: “You get these nights. We go back to the drawing board.

“I’m very disappointed in myself – I feel like I’ve let some people down with that performance. I made a lot of mistakes.

But now we want the unification fights. We want Ramirez.

“I’ve been asking for them [Ramirez’s team] for a long time.”